Car seat



T. D. 0WLER AND H. S.. GORDON.

.CAR SEAT. APPLICATION FILED ocT`.19. 192|.

Patented sept. 19,1922.

WJfL/WV ATT DHNEYE.

Liza-36e THOMAS D. OWLER AND HARRY S. GORDON, OF WAKEFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNORS TO HEYWOOD-WAKEFIELD COMPANY, OF WAKEFIELD, MASSA- CHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSGHUSTTS. y

CAR, SEAT.

Application-filed October 19, 1921; fuse-rial 11o.. 508,671. i

T @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, THOMAS D. OwLnR and HARRY S. GORDON, citizens of the United States, residing at VVakefield, in the county of Middlesex'and yStat-er of Massachusetts', have invented new and useful Improvements in Gar Seats, of which the following is-a specification. v

This invention relates to car seats `for socalled one man streetcars, Land has for its object to provide a convertible seat adapted to be adjusted either for the use of two passengers sitting at the same height, or for the use of a. motorman sitting at a. higher level, the seat when adjusted forV the use of a motorman, presenting two seat faces one higherl than the other.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a Car seat embodying the invention, portions of the back and portions of the supporting structure being broken away.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the seat bottom adjusted for the use of two passengers.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing the invertible seat bottom section displaced.`

Figure 5 is an edge view showing the seat bottom adjusted for the use of a motorman.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The seat section of a car seat which comprises suitable end supportsand a back, is shown separately'by Figures 3, 4 and 5, and comprises an outer oblong frame 12 having a fixed seat lface 13 at one end portion, and is formed at its opposite end portion to surround an opening 14. The frame is provided with upwardly facing rests or ledges 15 within said opening. The said section includes in invertible inner frame 16, formed to bear removably onvthe rests 15, a low seat face 17 substantially fiush with one side of the inner frame, and an offset seat face 17 a projecting from the opposite side of the inner frame. The inner frame 16 is loosely connected with the outer frame 12 by suitable means, preferably metal links 18, formed to lie between adjacent edges of the outer and inner frames at'opposite sides of the opening 14, and connected with the outer frame 12 at once-nd .the opening 14l by in ner pivots 19l and to the inner frame mid# way between the ends thereof by outer pivots 20. The said links and pivots permit the Y elevation of the invertible inner. frame above the outer frame, without displacement of the the inner frame into the opening, the links swingingv with; the' inner frame intoand out `of the opening, and the innervframe beingl supported by the rests 15vwithinthe opening either sidev up. 'llieiinner frame is adaptedto occupy an operative position with the low seat face 17 substantially flush with the iiXed seat face 13, as shown by `Figure 3, and another operative position with the offset sea-t ed for the use of two `passengers'sitting side 'face 17a' 'raised above the fixed seat face, as shown by Figure 5.4 When the seat section lis adjusted, as shown by Figure 3, it is adapt w by side at the samey height. l/Vhen the seat section is adjusted as shown by'Figure 5,'

the offset face 17a is adapted kto support a N motorman in a positionv elevated abovekthe' fixed seat face 13, theI latter adaptedvto be l used, if desired, by a.v passenger. When the inner frame; is displaced, yas indicated by vFigure, 4, it is adapted to bel inverted by swinging it onthe pivots 20, so that when the inner frame is in its operative position,

either 'of its seat faces mayy face upwardly.

The offset seat face 17a' is preferably the surface of an elastic cushion, which is suitably attached to the inner frame and may be I of any suitable construction and provided with any suitable arrangementof springs.V

The seat faces 13 and 1.7 may be of any suitable character. As here shown, they are supposed to be unyielding, the `face 13 being vsuitably attached to and supported by the outer frame 12, while the seat face 17 is suitably attached to and supported by the inner frame 16. To Vfacilitate the manipu` lation of the invertible inner frame, we provide an orifice in which a linger yofthe operator maybe inserted to raise the inner frame from the rests 15, saidorifice being preferably the bore of a metallic bushing l 22 inserted vin the seatfaee 17.

When the seat section is adjusted for the use of two passengers, the oflset seat face 17a projects below the outer frame 12, as shown by Figure 1, and by dotted lines in Figure 2.

Figures l and 9. show portions of a reversible car seat which includes a fixed supporting structure having fixed end portions 25 mounted on standards or supports QG of any suitablecharacter.V Said end portions are provided with guides 2T on which the usual curved rockers 25 are longitudinally movable. The desizribed seat section is connected with and supported by the rockers 28, as shown, and is transversely inclined, indicated by Figures l and 2, when the seat as a whole including the usual wall over baclr 29 is in condition for use. ISaid back is supported7 as usual, by two pairs of levers 30 and 3l, the lever 30 being fulcrurned at 32 to an end member 25 and the lever 3l being fulcrumed at to the same member. rlhe lever 30 is pivoted at 34C to an ear .projecting from one side of the back 29, and the lever 3l is pivoted at 35 to the ear projecting from the opposite side of the back.

The above-described mechanism is common and well-known and as thus far described is not claimed by us.

lt is usual in seat mechanism of this character to connect the lever 30 of the pair at one end of the seat with the lever 30 at the opposite end, by a rigid connecting rod, which extends lengthwise of the seat under the seat section. The function of said rod is to cause the levers at one end of the seat to move in unison with the levers at the opposite end when force is exerted on the back 29 to move the same across the seat section or from one edge of the latter to the opposite edge. Heretofore the connecting rod has been located in such close proximity to the under side of the seat section that when said section is equipped with the offset seat face 17@ above-described it cannot be successfully used because there is not sufficient room between the connecting rod and the frame of the seat bottom for the reception of the offset face 17a.'

To enable the connecting rod to perform its function without interference with the offsetseat face 17a, we off-set the main portion 37 of said rod from the end portions r38 which are rigidly joined to the levers 30.

The main portion 37 is7 therefore, suitably ases spaced from the under side of the seat section so that the connecting rod may perform its function without interfering with the offset seat face 17a, as indicated by Figure l and by full and dotted lines in Figure We claim:

A car scat comprising end supports and a seat section including an oblong outer frame, adapted to be maintained in au operative position by said supports, a fixed seat face occupying and filling one end portion of the frame,` and adapted to support a passenger, the other end. portion of the frame being formed to surround an opening,

Aand provided with upwardly facing rests within` said opening, an invertible inner frame formed kto occupy said opening and bear, either side up, on said rests, so that the inner frame is adapted to occupy either of two operative positions within said opening', said inner frame being provided with two oppositely facing seat faces, one of which is substantially flush with the fixed seat face, and is adapted to support another passenger when the inner frame is in one of said positions, the other face being offset and formed to be inoperatively located below the outer frame when the inner frame is in one of said positions, and to project above the outer frame and support a motor man when the inner frame is in the other operative position, parallel links formed to lie between adjacent edges of the outer and inner frame at opposite sides of said opening, inner pivots connecting said links with the outer frame at one end of said opening, whereby the links are adapted to swing into and out of theopening, and outer pivots connecting the swinging ends of the links with the inner frame, midway between the ends of the latter, said links loosely anchoring the inner to the outer frame, and permitting the elevation and upward displacement of the inner frame, without displacement of the outer frame, the inversion of the inner frame when the latter is elevated.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures.

THOMAS D. OWLER. HARRY S. GORDON. 

